Personal care compositions routinely include particulate material for a variety of purposes. One function for such particles is to provide a cleansing benefit. Many particles are commonly used for this purpose and include inorganic materials like carbonate salt, clay, silica, silicate, shale ash, perlite and quartz sand or organic materials like polypropylene, polyethylene, polymethylsilsesquioxane, nylon, polyacrylate and the like, which are often supplied as a powder or bead.
The problem with conventional materials is that while some scouring of a substrate may be desired for cleansing efficacy, keratinous tissues such as the skin are susceptible to damage from overly abrasive particles. Furthermore, such particles often have an undesirable texture for personal care compositions. For example, consumers selecting a facial cleanser may avoid compositions that feel gritty or coarse. Conversely, less aggressive particles may yield poor cleansing performance as evidenced by soil or make-up remaining on the skin after use of the composition. Formulators often must choose between over abrasive particles that may cause surface damage and have a poor feel profile but scour well and gentler particles with a better feel profile but with reduced cleansing efficacy.
A similar problem exists with personal care compositions having an exfoliation or microdermabrasion benefit. Selection of suitable particles often requires a chose of undesirable feel or limited efficacy.
In response to these problems, a need exists for new abrasive particles that may resolve the problem identified above as well as other issues related to the formulation of personal care compositions.